Twitching it up!

By Patrick Saulnier

Dead can dance! Photo by Katja Moeller

CALGARY – Few acts survive for a solid decade span, let alone two, and Twitch show no signs of hitting the off button. Debuting as one-man-band, Shayne Lawrence and his concoction of industrial rock, metal and hip-hop first made its appearance via cassette tape in 1999. Since then, it’s been an evolving state of mind and sound.

In the early years negativity and depression formed the much of the landscape. Looking back that’s the one thing Lawrence says he’s changed the most — moving away from a long period when things were “just not healthy.” As time passed the vocalist/songwriter got to better place and has a better message to convey with “Never doubt yourself” and “I will live positively” littered throughout the brand-new EP, Instructions ToYour Revolution, marked for a January release.

“The theme centers around an attitude change. Rather than thinking negatively about the things happening in our world, we’re (the band is) moving forward. Although the content is semi-political, I want people go away thinking positive things. Realize that we’re all different and that we all believe different things too. But we should be able to change and grow within that without hurting others.”

Evolving and refining Twitch’s sound with each new release also sustains the project. Lawrence, a.k.a. Daemon_w60, is always on the hunt for that new unique tone when choosing synths and creating dynamic digital compositions.

“I use a lot of free samples and I’ll get a lot of flak for it. But I even love using presets sometimes,” he shamelessly confesses with a laugh. “I’ll be listening to a song and I hear these sounds in my head… (there’s) a sound that belongs in a spot, and I try to recreate it.”

Reanimating those same specimens on stage, Twitch’s new record is “spiced-up” and set for an ear-blasting, high-energy experience as Lawrence and his fellow innovators (guitarist Brooke Chiasson and percussionist Colin Christopher) prepare for what they call a “Nine Inch Nails-style adventure.”